Cooper Pratt Reflects on Amateur Days and the Draft (VIDEO)

To say that Cooper Pratt is from a baseball family is an understatement. His father, Russell, played at the University of Utah. His mother, Heidi, played shortstop in college softball. Uncle Trent Pratt played at Auburn before reaching Double-A with the Phillies. Uncle Scott Pratt also went to Auburn. He reached Triple-A with Cleveland and Atlanta. He is now the head coach at BYU. Uncle Paul Pratt played baseball for the Air Force. Uncle Kyle Pratt played at Dixie State. Uncle Mark Pratt played football for Youngstown State and had a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals. 

Cooper is the second of four baseball-playing sons of Russell and Heidi. Older brother Ozzie Pratt hit .298 in 94 games for BYU over the past two seasons. He has transferred to Southern Mississippi for the current year. His younger brother Quincy has already committed to Ole Miss. Finally, his youngest brother, Jet, is in eighth grade and has as much talent as any.  

Cooper Pratt was born in Hialeah, Florida, in 2004. A couple of years later, his mother, a doctor, got a new job, and the family moved to Oxford, Mississippi. They have been there since. 

As Pratt said, “Mississippi is my home, and I’m happy to say that.” 

Cooper made the 45-mile drive north to Magnolia Heights High School in Senatobia, Mississippi, aka the Five-Star City. 

“It’s a baseball school. There are no rules on how many games you can play or when you can practice. It’s just a bunch of guys that want to go and compete and win.” Pratt continued, “We have a group of seniors, a great group of guys. Everyone has been playing since they were little. It was basically a travel ball team on a high school team.”  

He played in national tournaments and for travel ball teams when he was very young. He got his first baseball offer when he was in eighth grade. Then, between his eighth and ninth-grade years, He grew up. Literally. 

“I had a little growth spurt my ninth-grade year, like 6-7 inches. Something small. I outgrew my body, so I was super tall and skinny. Ninth-grade year, super tall and skinny. Sophomore year, still tall and skinny. I put a little weight on junior year and then a little more and a little more through senior year. I've filled my body out better than it was, but I still have some work to do.”

He was a four-year starter in high school. He played second base for the first two years because his brother Ozzie was playing shortstop. He played on some outstanding baseball teams. When the team won the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 5A championship his senior season, it was their fifth straight title. 

You read that right. Pratt went 10-0 with a 0.14 ERA. So, does Pratt ever wonder if he would be wise to pitch as a pro instead of playing shortstop? 

“Uhhh… No! I used to pitch a bit in travel ball and had a good slider. I was just able to throw strikes. So I just threw to barrels. My junior and senior year, I jumped velo. I learned how to throw a changeup. Not going to lie; it was pretty disgusting. I joked around all the time. Two-way ballplayer. A two-way player at Ole Miss. Every time I brought it up, it was shut down. I wasn’t even going to pitch my senior year because I didn’t want to hurt my arm, but then I was like, Who Cares?” 

Pratt continued, “I enjoyed pitching. I was a great high school pitcher. If I pitched right now (in pro ball), I’d probably get shelled. I think I’d do okay, but there’s no shot I’d ever get to the big leagues pitching. I can throw strikes. That’s all you need in high school baseball.” 

In addition to his on-field prowess, Pratt maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. Had he gone to Ole Miss, he wanted to major in biological science with the goal of being a periodontist. 

He said, “I wanted to be a periodontist, but I think a baseball player is a little better.” 

He credits his parents for his successes on and off the field. “I attribute a lot of that to my parents because they were such an amazing influence on me. Playing every day. Practicing every day.” He added, “My dad (has been) probably the most influential in baseball. My mom (she’s) probably the nicer of the two.”

Pratt’s Draft Story
Cooper Pratt was a known commodity heading into the draft. He had played in many national and regional events. He played in the East Coast Pro Showcase. He’d played in the Perfect Game All-American game. He had played in the Jupiter showcase. 

“The draft was a stressful time. I was talking to all these scouts before, and then all of a sudden, the draft happens, and nothing. Teams would call and say when and where they wanted to take him, and then they didn’t.” 

While certainly disappointed not to be selected on Day 1, Pratt was trying to put that disappointment into perspective. “I wasn’t too worried about it because I had two really good options, Ole Miss and the draft. If I got drafted, great. If I didn’t, great. I still have Ole Miss.”

Rounds three through 10 are made on Day 2 of the MLB Draft. “I thought, maybe third round, fourth round. And then once those passed, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to college.”

His dad took his brothers to the batting cage to get some swings. His mom went out to run some errands. Cooper drove over to Ole Miss to get his parking pass. 

“I was in line, and I got a call from my agent who said, “Will you go for this?” And I was like, ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ That’s how I got drafted. I got out of line, went back to my car, called my mom, and then we all met back at the house.” 

It wasn’t an easy decision by any means. “You don’t want to think and then regret it. I thought, will I regret this one day? This is every kid’s dream. If I had asked my seven-year-old self, ‘Hey, do you want to play professional baseball? And 10 out of 10 times, he’d have said Yes.” 

A Scout’s Tale 
Many times, when a team drafts a player, the player will say that they were surprised the drafting team took him because they didn’t talk to him much leading up to the draft. For Pratt, it was the opposite. He said, “There were a couple of scouts that I really liked. I didn’t have a problem with any of the scouts. They were all super nice.” 

The Brewers area scout for Mississippi (and Alabama and Louisiana) is Scott Nichols, and the two have a great relationship. 

Pratt said, “Scott Nichols is The Man! I love him. He’s the best. He was at a lot of my games.” 

Scott Nichols signed as a non-drafted free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 out of Pennsylvania Western University in California (PA). He was a catcher and slowly progressed to Triple-A in 1990 and 1991. 

The Cardinals farm director at that time was Hall of Famer (and former Brewer) Ted Simmons. Simmons called Nichols one day. When you’re 27 years old, in Triple-A during your seventh professional season, a call from the farm director is incredibly exciting. Was he about to be called up to the big leagues? 

Instead, Simmons offered Nichols a job as a scout. It hurt initially, but he said he’d think about it. He made phone calls to seek advice and ultimately joined the scouting world. He spent 16 years as a scout with the Cardinals. He then joined the Royals organization before joining the Brewers. He has signed the likes of Brandon Woodruff and Ethan Small. 

Regarding Pratt, it’s clear that admiration goes both ways. When he first saw him play, he thought, “This kid is different. Loved him from the get-go. He’s a humble man, and he works really hard.”

Nichols said, “He just kept doing things that…” 

He paused. “I put him in a category. Three people, including him.” 

“In my three decades of scouting, I put Cooper Pratt into the same category as Austin Riley and Gunnar Henderson.” 

While Pratt was at home, feeling a little sad and disappointed about falling in the draft, Nichols was upset and disappointed each time the Brewers made a pick that wasn’t Pratt. 

However, the Brewers took him in the sixth round, had the money to get the deal done, and Nichols was thrilled. He acknowledged recently that the selection of Pratt has rejuvenated his love of his job. He enjoyed attending various events and having rival scouts congratulate him on the Pratt pick and signing. He got notes from Brewers player development personnel who worked with Pratt after he signed.  

Pratt was drafted in July and went to Arizona to sign. He played in 12 games for the Arizona Complex League Brewers and hit .356/.426/.444 (.870) with two doubles and a triple. He also had four stolen bases in four attempts. He helped the team to the ACL Championship. Since the end of the season, he’s participated in Instructional League and some mini-camps. Only recently has he left Arizona. 

His past year has been very exciting. “It has been a rollercoaster, for sure, and I am excited for the road ahead.”

Follow Cooper Pratt on Twitter at @CooperPratt4.  

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